Metal Dolls: Mercnary Loyalties
by Tina Ichijouji
Summary: Megaman, Roll, and Dr. Light are missing and Protoman's only hope of finding them is a robot mercnary with an unknown past. Can they succeed and stop Dr. Wily's latest plot before they kill each other? Protoman/OC.
1. The Black Bandit

  


Metal Dolls: Mercenary Loyalties 

  


Disclaimer: Mega Man and all related characters are Trademarks of CAPCOM Co. , Ltd. and are used without permission. Any other characters that don't appear in the _Mega Man_ games belong to me. 

  


Note: This story is supposed to be part of a trilogy called 'Metal Dolls' that introduces my three original Mega Man characters one by one, but it may take a long time to complete it. The reason being because I'm one of those people who has a lot of good ideas for different things jumbled around in their brains at the same time and NO WAY to organize them effectively and I'm always getting new ones. Anyway I'll do the best I can. This first part focuses on Proto Man more than Mega Man in honor of the fact that Proto's one of my favorite characters from the series. I never played any of the games and only got interested in them at all thanks to a chance encounter with Anthony 

Bault's 'Heros of Arcadia' so all my information comes from the internet, especially fanfiction. Anyway I talk too much, let's get this story going shall we? 

  


Chapter 1: The Black Bandit

  


Powell Technologies was one of the two leading suppliers of weapons and other advanced technology to the government. It was this reason that when CEO and owner Alexander Powell noticed a rash of thefts occurring in his major facilities he suspected his rival company Xavier corp. 

Of course he couldn't prove it unless he had evidence. Since the facilities in question were operated for the Federal Government, Alexander knew that if he went through official channels the investigation of the thefts would be bogged down for months in governmental red tape, so he decided to get outside help.

For a small fee of course.

Two dark figures dashed silently across the shadowed roof tops of the down town district toward the Powell Tech. weapons research center at the edge of the city. One, a black and storm grey robot, jumped down from the roof top of one building to the lower roof top of another, ran to the other side of the building and stopped at the edge with a dark blue and silver robo-dog not too far behind. Together the two stared at the tall office building for a couple of seconds. 

"This must be the place." The robot said in a low feminine voice.

"According to what we've found so far all the security breaches preceding the thefts can be traced back to this location." Another voice answered over the communicator in the robot's helmet. "If you can catch the culprits in the act, we can find out who's been causing all the trouble." 

"Doesn't it seem strange to you that– wait a minute!" The robot cut herself off mid-reply as her enhanced optic sensors picked up a suspicious image. The flashing and sparking of damaged computer equipment could be seen through a window. "It seems that someone's decided to celebrate July fourth a little early . . . inside their office. Lets go." She added to her four-legged companion. 

She raised her right arm and a black grappling-cable shot out of the cuff around her wrist. It wrapped around a flag pole sticking out of the side of a near by building. She grabbed the end of the cable and tugged to make sure it was secure and would hold her weight.

Meanwhile, a pair of glider wings extended from the robo-dog's back. 

After looking to make sure her partner was ready to follow, the robot launched herself of the roof and swung toward the research center. The robo-dog also jumped off the roof, activated rockets in the pads of her feet and flew after her mistress. 

*******************************************************************

"Hey Bass, how many more times do we have to do this?" a big hulking brown and black Robot Master known as Heavy Man asked as he smashed a control panel with his tremendous strength.

"Yeah this is getting tiresome." Hydro Girl, a slim Sea-green and yellow Robot Master added as she sat on a desk watching him.

(Note: For those who want to know I like to think that Hydro Girl sounds like Ranamon from Digimon 04)

"We'll keep searching until we find all the parts Dr. Wily want's." The mad scientist's second in command answered, arms folded across his chest.

"But why do we also have to destroy things while we're searching?" The royal blue and purple Strata Girl asked, tossing her head in irritation, which caused her lavender curls to shimmer in the dim moon light coming through the window. "Seems rather pointless and self-destructive to me."(Note: Strata Girl is supposed to sound like Gatomon from Digimon 01 back when she was working for Myotismon hopefully I'm not the only Digimon nut who also likes Megaman out there) 

Bass's head snapped around to glare at her. _What had possessed Wily to build_ female_ Robot Masters?_ He thought angrily as Strata Girl smirked back, knowing her tone had let him know exactly what she was implying and that this fact thoroughly annoyed him. She had been questioning his authority ever since she had been activated and somehow he had never been able to put her in her place. "Don't ask me Strata Girl, it might be because he doesn't like Mr. Powell, we're just following orders." He answered coldly.

"Humph." Was her only reply as she walked past him, her nose turned up in the air and one hand on her hip as her other hand swung casually at her side. Bass could see she was still smirking as she walked by. 

Techno Man meanwhile typed furiously at the key board of another control Panel. The grey and silver robot seemed oblivious to everything and everyone else as he worked.

Finally he seemed to achieve what he set out to do as with one final key stroke he gave a triumphant "Ah-ha!" (Note: I like to think that Techno Man sounds like Izzy from Digimon 01) 

Bass stopped glaring at Strata Girl and went over to check on Techno Man. The other Robot Masters also stopped what they were doing to watch.

"Progress report, Techno Man."

"I've hacked into the main data base. I'm searching for our target now." 

"Good, tell me when you find it."

"Yes sir." 

"You know," Hydro Girl said as she walked up next to Heavy Man, she lowered her voice so Bass wouldn't hear her next words. "Strata Girl does make a good point. You probably shouldn't have destroyed that control panel." 

Heavy Man looked confused. "But Bass said. . . ." 

". . .That it was okay if you wanted to, I know. And I know you like smashing things but you should try using your head once in a while since that's what it's there for . . . "

"Excuse me, did I say it was okay for everyone to start chattering endlessly?" Bass interrupted without taking his eyes of the computer screen. 

"No." Hydro Girl answered.

"Then can you can you please be silent so Techno Man can concentrate and we can this done _tonight_ and not next Millennium." 

At this Strata Girl scoffed. "Techno Man could concentrate through _Mt. Vesuvius _for god's sake. I very much doubt that those two whispering too each other's going to bother him in the least."

Bass turned to glare at her again and was about to reply when Techno Man interrupted.

"Eureka!! I found it!" he exclaimed.

"And about time too!" Hydro Girl answered. "The last thing we needed right now is another lover's spat." 

"What did you just say!?" If looks could kill the one Bass and Strata Girl gave Hydro Girl at these words would have made her a smoking hole in the floor.

"Nothing!" Hydro Girl said quickly, drawing back and holding her hands up defensively.

Heavy Man snickered.

Techno Man a.k.a. 'The ultimate computer nerd' turned and arched an eye brow questioningly. 

"Sir?" the latter asked.

"Right. Where is it Techno Man?" Bass said, taking Techno Man's hint and getting back to the business at hand.

"At the center of the complex. We can reach it through this level but the security's tight and as you already know we can't let anyone see us or we'll blow our cover." Techno Man answered matter-of-factly.

"Well how _are_ we supposed to get it without being noticed? It's not as if we can just turn invisible." Hydro Girl asked, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"Easy. I've already planted a computer virus in their security system so they won't be able to see us and none of the alarms will work. All we have to do is take the least guarded corridor." 

"Good. But there might still be security guards to worry about. We'll take them out without them seeing us so they can't identify us later." Bass cautioned. Dr. Wily had told them how important it was to his plans that Powell Technologies continued to believe they were dealing with humans working for their rival company.

"Don't cause too much damage though. That would cause just as much trouble in the long run." He added. It wouldn't do at all for security to tighten at the last target location because a guard turned up dead or sufficiently damaged enough for the humans to decide that the thieves were dangerous enough to warrant extra attention.

"We don't need to be told _that_, unless that little warning was specifically pointed at a certain over sized metallic ox who I suppose should remain nameless at this time." Strata Girl answered with a pointed look at Heavy Man. 

"Any further questions?" Bass asked.

"...." 

"Okay, then lets get this over with."

The others nodded and they all started to leave the room. As they left none of them realized, their conversation had been overheard.

_Well now. . . ._The Black and Grey robot thought as she watched them go from her place in a shadowed corner of the room. _This is something new, since when did Wily's precious Robot Masters go around stealing things? _

She jumped up, opened a near by ventilation shaft and climbed in, her metallic canine companion (Who had been hiding in the shadows with her mistress) not too far behind. _We'll just have to see about this. . . ._

  


************************************************************************ 

  


The Robot Masters got to their destination without too much trouble thanks to Techno Man's system virus and Strata Girl's stealth abilities. The security alarm triggers were all connected in such a way that the virus effectively rendered them useless and (Foolishly enough) so were the cameras.

Meanwhile Strata Girl went ahead of everyone else and knocked out any guards she ran into with blunt arrows from her Strata Bow when they weren't looking.

"Now what?" An impatient Hydro Girl asked when they finally reached the large door that lead to where Techno Man said the target was located.

Techno Man went over to a small panel on the wall and examined it briefly. "It looks like a standard lock, you'd think they'd have better defenses . . . well anyway give me a minute and I'll crack the code." He pulled a cord out of a compartment in his wrist and plugged it into the panel then opened a small panel in his lower arm and started issuing commands. 

"Got it." He said several seconds later as the door slid opened with a hiss to reveal a big mostly empty room with a raised platform in the center.

"Finally." Heavy Man said as they stepped into the room. "Now we can get out of here, I hate all this sneaking around." 

"Really? No wonder it was so easy to find you." An unfamiliar voice answered seemingly from out of nowhere. 

A tether flew out from behind them binding a surprised Heavy Man's arms to his sides as two heavy steel balls attached to each end of the rope spun around and around, faster and faster, tightly securing the large robot. 

The other robots spun around to face at their opponent.

Standing behind them, arms akimbo, was a black and gray robot! Her design was obviously based off that of Mega Man, but her helmet had a silver visor (Like the black one in Proto Man's helmet) that hid the top half of her face. A bushy black ponytail stuck out near the top of the helmet. Standing next to her, growling menacingly, was a blue and silver robo-dog that looked a little bit like Bass's dog Treble. 

"Should've stayed in your little Skull Fortress." She added. 

"What the– Who are you?!" Bass demanded. 

The robot grinned as she slid into a fighting stance. "The name's Disco, The Black Bandit, and your worst nightmare." 

"Get her!" Bass shouted to his subordinates as he fired a super-shot at her.

Disco jumped over the blast and lunged forward in an attempt to tackle Strata Girl. Strata Girl side stepped out of the way, but The Black Bandit wasn't finished yet. Having predicted the dodge, Disco came to a halt and spun on her heel in a perfect round house kick that caught Strata Girl in the back with enough force to send the robot master tumbling forward a couple of feet. 

" Upstart!" Strata Girl, outraged, jumped to her feet and whipped out her bow in one smooth motion before firing a volley of Strata Arrows at the other robot.

Disco dodged them all and jumped over Hydro Girl's Hydro Cannon before the robo-dog joined the battle, tackling Bass who dared to try and hit her mistress with another super-shot while she was still in mid-jump. 

Bass and the robo-dog hit the ground and the shot went wild, nearly hitting Heavy Man who was still struggling to free himself. 

"Thanks Jazz!" Disco called as she dodged right to avoid another Hydro Cannon.

Heavy Man finally got over the initial shock and confusion enough to rip the tether off with his enhanced strength. He climbed to his feet and proceeded to charge at Disco from behind but she heard him coming.

Pulling a backward somersault, Disco jumped over Heavy Man's lunge and landed behind him in a crouch before executing an abrupt trip-kick that effectively knocked Heavy Man's legs out from under him. He hit the floor with a ground shaking crash.

"The bigger they are," She said as she stood up. That's when she noticed Techno Man at the raised platform. There was a Plas-steel tube protecting the component on the platform form just being snatched off and Techno Man was trying to break the code to remove it. He looked like he almost had it too.

_We can't have _that_ now can we?_ Disco thought as she dashed over. In spite of all this she hadn't completely forgotten Strata Girl and Hydro Girl which is why she managed to dodge, though only just barely, when both of them chose this moment to attack at the same time. 

Techno Man worked as quickly as possible while the others kept Disco busy, until finally: "Ah-ha! Got it!" the tube lifted enough for him to grab the disc inside.

Bass meanwhile finally managed to knock Jazz off with super-shot at point-blank and jump to his feet. 

"Sir!" Techno Man shouted, waving the disc over his head.

Upon seeing this, Bass's understandably bad mood faded a little.

"Fall Back! We have what we came for!" He barked to the others as he ran for the platform.

"Ooh no ya don't!" Disco said as she started after him.

Strata Girl shot another arrow at Disco, this time the shaft exploded and a net flew out, snaring Disco before she could dodge.

"Ooh yes we do!" Strata Girl shot back mockingly as she and Hydro Girl followed Bass.

Heavy Man was closest to the platform and got there first, he was followed by Bass then Strata Girl and Hydro Girl.

When Strata Girl reached the platform, she turned back to look at Disco who was still struggling with the net. She smirked, held out a fist, extended her thumb and forefinger, pointed at the Black Bandit, and jerked her hand up as if from the kickback of firing a gun. Then just for added malice she blew at the tip off her forefinger as if she were blowing smoke off the end of a gun just before Bass activated his teleporter and they all disappeared in a flash of black light. 

Disco cursed vehemently as she finally threw the net off. " I can't believe they got away!!!" But when she stood she immediately went to check on Jazz.

The robo-dog was still recovering from Bass's super-shot.

Disco knelt next to Jazz. "Aw poor thing, did that jerk hurt you?" She asked as she scratched her between the ears. 

Jazz whimper then barked.

"Don't worry girl Dr. Dark can take care of it. Speaking of which." Disco pressed a button on the side of her helmet. "Hey Julia. Ya there?" 

"Yes, how did it go?" Dr. Dark asked on the other.

"Bad, I almost had them but they got away at the last minute."

"But do you know who it was."

"Well it sure as he** wasn't Xavier Corp. Unless Mr. Xavier managed to somehow talk ol' Doc Wily into letting him barrow Bass and the Robot Masters ."

"Bass and the Robot Masters? Strange. . . . You'd better return the lab and tell me exactly what happened."

"Okay but you'd better have a table ready 'cause Jazz is hurt again."

"Fine just get back here."

Disco, after one last quick glance a round, activated the teleporter in Jazz's collar.

_I wonder why the doc sounded so worried. . . _.Disco thought as She and Jazz disappeared in their own flash of black light. 

  


********************************************************************** So how'd you like it? Please R+R and tell me. Hopefully I might be able to get the next chapter up in the next couple of months but I have other stories I'm working on so it might take a while. As you can tell this chapter was meant to introduce some of my original characters. I know I said that there were only three but I Don't know enough about the Robot Masters from the games to include them and I thought it would be good to have some female robot masters since I pretty sure there were only male RM's in the games. Catch ya on da flip side! ^_~ 

  



	2. Megaman's what? Or Enter the Red Raider

Metal Dolls: Mercenary Loyalties

  
  


Disclaimer: Mega Man and all related characters belong to Capcom Co. , Ltd. Any characters that didn't belong to me.

  


Note: Okay here's the next chapter, lets just hope I can pull this off. I just had the idea for theme music for different original characters (like Disco's theme is going to be 'Queen of the Night' by Whitney Houston) like they did for the Sonic characters in Sonic Adventure 1&2. I'm only going to do it for the three OC's that star in the trilogy. I'll mention when I using the star character's theme though how well that'll work is anybody's guess. Anyway thanks for the review Anthony, I'm glad you like it and I hope you and anyone else who's reading this can continue to like it. So without further ado, Let's get the ball rolling. 

  
  


Chapter 2: Mega Man's what?! (or Enter the Red Raider)

  
  


"Darn those Robot Masters!" Disco grumped from where she stood leaning against one of the lab walls watching Dr. Julia Marie Dark repair Jazz. "Especially that jerk Bass and that rhymes with witch Strata Girl." 

"What are you complaining about?" Dr. Dark asked patiently as she worked. "At least you found out who the thieves were. You've already told Mr. Powell and received your payment, you should feel good." 

"This is matter of hurt pride Julia! Besides that jerk hurt Jazz!" 

"She's not that badly hurt, and at any rate you've never fought the Robot Masters before. You can't expect to win against a group of strong opponents for the first time when you know next to nothing about them."

Disco smiled. "Your no fun. A girl can't even pout without you going into one of your lectures" Then she frowned. "But that does NOT change the fact that they shouldn't have gotten away so easily!" 

"I know Disco. How about you go out for a while and blow off some steam. I'll call you if anything comes up." The scientist suggested gently.

"Fine, nothing to do 'round here anyway." Disco grumbled as she walked out the door.

************************************************************************

(Disco's theme, minus the words, play's softly in the background)

  


Disco leapt silently across the roof tops in the downtown district. She wasn't heading in a particular direction, just wandering. 

As she dove head first off one tall building and grabbed a flag pole sticking out of the same building with both hands to swing around on it like a gymnast on the uneven parallel bars it bent down from her weight, which was actually considerably less than that of an ordinary robot's, before snapping back up abruptly. As it did, she let go and let it launch her straight up into the air, bending backwards so that she back flipped on to the roof of a taller building. She landed upside down on one hand and did a hand spring to land on her feet in a crouch.

_Gyroscopes and Darinium alloy,_ she thought as she stood up,_ gotta love it,_ She added with a smirk. Darinium was a mostly experimental metal that had proven to be as strong as Titanium but a lot lighter so it made effective lightweight body armor. Although there were few scientists who had access to the stuff, it had been used extensively in her construction. The gyroscopes had been added later when she was upgraded from lab assistant to robot fighter. 

_It's funny. . . . _She thought as the smirk disappeared to be replaced by a frown, _How much my beginnings are so similar to Mega Man's, even though my reason's for making the change were different. . . ._ She sighed heavily as she looked up at the moon. _Much different, not just for making money as some high priced mercenary. Sometimes . . . I wish I could've. . . ._ She shook her head violently before she could continue on THAT little walk down Bad Memory Lane. _What am I doing, thinking about_ that_? I oughta leave the past where it belongs and concentrate on the here and now! _

She walked up to the end of the building and sat down with another sigh, her feet dangling off the edge as she continued to look up. _Maybe I shouldn't be so hard on myself. It's been what, two years? I can't expect to get over it that fast, especially-_. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, her communicator crackled to life and interrupted her thoughts.

"Disco are you there?" the familiar voice of Dr. Dark asked. 

"Of course, who else do you think would answer this thing? What do ya want?" Disco asked, sounding more annoyed then she intended to.

"I've interrupted another of your little pouting sessions I see."

"Actually I wasn't pouting. Now what is it? Another job so soon?" 

"You could say that, come back. There's someone I want you to meet." The scientist answered after a moments hesitation.

"Right." Disco answered before turning the com. off. 

_I wonder what's going on. . . . _ Disco thought as she started back toward the house. _Well I guess I'll find out when I get there._

  


(Disco's theme ends)

************************************************************************

"So you have no idea where they are Dr. Cossack?" asked Dr. Dark asked the other scientist as they waited for Disco to return.

"Exactly. He would have known if they had decided to go on a vacation or something along those lines since he goes to the lab to check on them almost every day." He answered.

Both of them were in the lab. Dr. Dark had finished repairing Jazz, who was sitting on the lab table watching. Dr. Dark sat on a chair near the table, and Dr. Cossack was pacing near the open hallway door. A robot was standing in a corner leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest and his head bowed in thought. He hadn't said word since the conversation began.

"It seems that–" Dr. Cossack started to say when was cut off by a voice coming from the hall. 

"It seems that somebody decided ta starts without me."

Dr. Cossack jumped a foot in the air and spun around to locate the source of the voice. The robot looked up abruptly with the same intention. 

Disco was in the hallway leaning against the wall with her arms folded across her chest smirking at the surprised look on the middle-aged scientist's face.

"Doc Cossack, nice ta see ya again. How's Kali?" she asked, referring to Cossack's daughter Kalinka. She didn't really hear what Cossack said in response since she suddenly noticed the strange robot in the room. 

_What the . . . do I know him?_ She wondered for a second as she studied him. The robot's design was some what similar to hers. His primary colors were red and white and he wore a helmet with a visor like she did except the visor was black instead of silver. That, plus the oval shaped red and white shield strapped to his back and the yellow bandana tied around his neck told Disco all she needed to know. 

_That's Proto Man. Mega Man's older brother. What's _he_ doing here? _ Disco had of course never met him before but knew a lot about him. He was the guy who always ended up saving Mega Man's sorry hide whenever he got himself in a jam. Most people used to think the guy was evil after a clone created by Dr. Wily started to cause trouble during the Fifth 'Wily War'. Most of the rest of her information (Including his appearance) came from a file Dr. Dark kept on the creation's of Dr. Thomas Xavier Light and other robotists.

"So," she said as she focused her attention back on the two scientists. "What's this about a job?" she noticed Proto Man had been studying her as well but when she started talking again he also looked up at the scientists but said nothing.

"Well," Dr. Cossack said anxiously. "It seems that. . . ."

"Mega Man's gone missing, Along with Roll and Dr. Light." Dr. Dark finished. 

Disco eyebrows shot up behind her visor. "Mega Man's _what_?! You're kidding right?" _Well that at least explains why Dr. Cossack's here. _ Dr. Cossack and Dr. Light had become friends after the fourth 'Wily War' when Dr. Wily kidnaped Kalinka to blackmail Cossack into claiming responsibility for the latest wave of Robot Master attacks, so naturally he'd be worried about them. 

_But that still doesn't fully explain what _he_'s doing here. _Disco thought as she shot a suspicious glance in the Red Raider's direction. "So you want me to help find im or somethin'? I thought the great Proto Man worked alone. What's _he_ doin' here?" She'd said this a little more snappishly then intended but she didn't really care. She was in a bad mood and to her that was an official LTBB (Licence to be a *****), she did _not_ care what Dr. Dark said. 

Proto Man looked straight at her. "This was Dr. Cossack's idea not mine." He said, obviously trying to sound calm though it was clear to Disco that her tone had set him off a little. 

"We suspect Dr. Wily but we don't know where he is." Dr. Cossack explained quickly. "And even if we did, Wily might be expecting Proto Man to try to rescue them so he might need some help." 

"A partner you mean." Disco said dully, looking as if the very thought made her uncomfortable "How much is this gonna pay?" 

"Disco!" Dr. Dark exclaimed.

Disco looked up at the younger of the two scientists. "What!"

"Dr. Cossack and Dr. Light are colleagues of mine! You can't pretend that money's all you care about." Dr. Dark scolded.

"But–" Disco started to protest, but stopped at the look on her friend's face. "Oh fine Julia I'll do it for free. But. . . ." she through some what resentful look in Dr. Cossack's direction. "You're gonna owe me for this one Cossack." she warned. "You know perfectly well I prefer working alone." 

"Your not the only one. . . ." Proto Man muttered in his corner.

Disco snapped her head around to look at him again. She'd heard what he'd said. _Izzat so? Well now this is gonna be an _interesting_ relationship. _

  


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Well there you go. I hope you guy's liked it. Now let's see how long it take's for me to do the _next_ chapter. I know this chapter was shorter then the last one. Once again thank's to everyone who's reviewed so far. See ya! ^_ ~ 


	3. Wily's Eight

  


Metal Dolls: Mercenary Loyalties 

  


Disclaimer: Mega Man and all related characters belong to Capcom Co. , Ltd. All other characters belong to me.

  


Note: In this chapter I'm going to answer Rebel X's request for descriptions of the new Robot Masters though I'm only going to describe some of them. The reason is that I'm still trying to figure out what some of them look like, and I know I should have thought of that already but . . . :( 

  


Chapter Three: Wily's Eight 

  
  


"Well at least we got the disk so he isn't too mad at us." Hydro Girl said as the walked down the corridor of the skull fortress. They'd just left Dr. Wily's Main lab after delivering the disc and giving their report. 

Bass didn't answer her. He was busy trying to keep his mind off of Wily for a while. Finally he settled for contemplating the strange design's of the latest batch of robot masters.

Hydro Girl for one looked typical enough. She wore a battle outfit similar to Proto Man's with several differences. Her helmet didn't have a visor. Instead it had a crest on top that was designed to look like a fish fin. Most of her outfit was Sea-green except for her boots and two horizontal stripes around her waist that were yellow. Her hair was blonde and chin length and on her left temple was a blue marking shaped like waterdrop. 

"That didn't change the fact that he was mad." Strata Girl said darkly. "We did after all blow our cover." 

Strata Girl was different. Though most of her own outfit was like Hydro Girl's she was the only Robot Master in the current group who didn't wear a helmet. She wore a dark blue headband with a purple star-shaped crystal in the center. Her lower arms and boots were purple while the rest was royal blue. She had a purple quiver strapped to her back where she kept her Strata Arrows and her bow was on her shoulder. 

"Why didn't you destroy that black and gray robot Strata Girl?" Heavy Man asked.

"Because she dodged everything we threw at her. It would have taken too long and we didn't have a reason to hang around anyway since Techno Man managed to get the disc." Strata Girl answered.

"You still got in _trouble_!" annoyingly familiar(At least to them) voice sang from behind. (Note: Think Rini's voice from Sailor Moon S and Super S)

They turned to find the source and saw another of the new Robot Masters leaning with one hand against a wall and a mischievous grin plastered on her face. This one's helmet, lower arms, and boot's were pink, along with a diagonal stripe that went down at her waist to the left and up over her right shoulder making it look like a sash. The rest of her outfit was white including two lightning bolt symbols on her helmet (one on either side). A blonde ponytail stuck out near the top of the helmet. 

_Now that I think about it, the little brat looks kind of like Mega Man's little sister Roll with green eyes,_ Bass thought before speaking. "What do _you_ want Quick Girl?" _Well _that's _an original name, _"Shouldn't you be playing with your little dolls or wrecking the lab or something along those lines?" 

"I don't play with dolls and _that _was an accident." Quick Girl Answered, unfazed. "The five of you weren't the only one's on a mission last night you know."

"Oh, really?" Techno Man asked, genuinely interested. 

"Yeah. Me and the others were on a _very important _mission last night." Quick Girl said proudly. 

"And what was that exactly?" Hydro Girl asked skeptically. 

"We'll tell you what it was." Another voice answered ( Note: Think Rika's voice from Digimon 03).

Two more Robot Masters walked up to the group. 

"We have 'guests'." The one who had spoken first added smugly. She had the same basic design as the other girls but her lower arms, boots and helmet were dark red and the rest was orange. On the front of her helmet just above her forehead was a gold flame symbol.

The green and brown Robot Master next to her nodded and grinned. "Very spacial 'guests'." He agreed. (Note: think Ken from Digimon 02's voice when he was the Digimon Emperor) 

"Pyro Girl, Terra Man, Stop being so damn cryptic and just tell us!" Bass said impatiently. 

"We could but we wouldn't like to spoil the surprise now would we." Pyro Girl replied slyly. 

"Yeah I can't wait to see the looks on your faces!" Quick Girl quipped up. She started bouncing rapidly down the hall giggling like a little girl as she went. She only stopped once to turn around and shout while bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, "C'mon, lets go!" before bouncing away again.

Pyro Girl and Terra Man snickered and followed at a leisurely pace. 

"Honey, as much as I'd like to know what your goin' on about _I've _got more important things to do." Hydro Girl said as she headed in the opposite direction. "So you little children go off and have fun without me, and I'll be seein' you later." 

"Come to think of it I have something I must do as well." Techno Man said as he also headed in a different direction, waving to the others as he went.

Bass sighed in irritation as he watched Quick Girl's progress down the hall then followed. "It seem's that someone's still missing." he noted as Strata Girl and Heavy Man joined him.

"Do ya mean Jet Man?" Heavy Man asked.

Strata Girl Scoffed. "Well of course he mean's Jet Man." 

She gave Bass a side-long glance. "Knowing that idiotic 'Proto Man Lookalike' he's probably off somewhere playing that stupid video game of his." She sighed and rolled her eyes before adding "I swear he's almost as bad as Quick Girl."

At this the aforementioned robot stopped bouncing and spun around.

"_HEY!!!_"

************************* 

_C'mon Cyndaquil,_ The black and silver Robot Master named Jet Man rapidly pressed the buttons on his Game Boy Advanced as he battled the rival trainer on the small screen.

Ever since he'd 'found' the GBA and a copy of Pokemon Crystal version during an outing he'd been playing with it whenever he could spare the time.

Dr. Wily ground his teeth as he tried to concentrate on his work and ignore the music and sound coming from the game until finally....

"TURN THAT OFF!!!" Wily snapped, wheeling around to glare at his 'youngest' creation.

Jet Man's response was to jump slightly then quickly turn the volume off and continue to play without a word. 

Wily considered clarifying his order by telling Jet Man to turn the whole game off but thought better of it. 

_Knowing him he'll just get bored and do something just as distracting. _"Why don't you take that somewhere else?" 

No response.

Not that he'd really expected any. Like most of this latest batch of Robot Masters, maybe even more than the others, Jet Man had the annoying habit of occasionally choosing to ignore or question orders. Not something Wily had been attempting to do but they did as they were told often enough that he usually let it go.

On top of that there was the fact that Jet Man was the most reserved Robot Master Wily had ever built and whenever he _did_ decide to speak (a rare occurrence) it was never above a whisper.

_Well,_ Wily thought as returned to his work, _At least that noise has stopped_

*************************

  


Hydro Girl floated on her back across the surface of the water in the swimming pool that had been built to test the underwater capabilities of the water based Robot Masters. 

_If she were human, _she thought as she remembered Quick Girl's hyperactive behavior earlier, something that was hard to forget, _I'd say she'd had to much sugar sometime today. But then she's almost always like that isn't she? _

Hydro Girl knew the pink and white robot did it because it annoyed the h*** out of Bass, something she, Strata Girl and (Occasionally) Pyro Girl liked to do.

She also did it when she particularly excited about something but she could be mature when she chose to be.

_I wonder. if it _was_ because she was excited about something, what was it?_ Hydro Girl frowned. _Maybe I should have gone with the others after all. Oh well, I suppose Dr. Wily will tell us sometime in the near future._

********************

  


"Ooh, what hit me?" Mega Man groaned as he woke up. The last thing he remembered was walking was coming in to the lab to check on Dr. Light. Finding no one around he was about to look else where when something hit him from behind and he blacked out.

He sat up, shook his head, and opened his eyes. It looked like he was in a mostly empty room. The walls and floor were made of metal and there was nothing in here except him and— 

"What the– Dr. Light, Roll!" Mega Man got up and started toward them only to bump into some kind of invisible wall. 

"Ow!" 

He fell back on his butt and looked up in surprise. _Where'd that come from? _

He stood back up and reached out with both his hands. He felt but couldn't see a solid wall. He looked down and saw he was standing in a metal ring about five feet wide. 

_It must be part of some kind of force field generator! _He realized as he looked and saw that Roll and Dr. Light (both still unconscious) were each lying in the centers of similar metal rings. There was another metal ring next to the one Mega Man was in and the Blue Bomber had a feeling he knew who _that_ had been meant for. 

_At least that means Proto Man's still free. I hope. _Just then a door slid open and a pink and white robot bounded in looking excited about something. _What the– she looks kinda like Roll!_

She was quickly followed by a red and orange robot and a green and brown robot.

The red and orange robot grinned evilly. "Well look who finally decided to wake up. Good morning blue boy." 

As she spoke three more robots walked in. One of which was– 

"Bass! I should known you and Wily were behind this." Mega Man exclaimed. 

Bass seemed surprised to see him. "So this is the very important mission Quick Girl was going on about. Nice of you drop in Megs. I hope your enjoying your stay."

  


*************************

  
  


And there you have it the third chapter of Metal Dolls: ML is up! ^_^ 

I hope it didn't take as long as think it did but my mom took my internet privileges away when she found out I hadn't done all my work in my math class. Math Yuck!|: 

Anyway thanks once again to everyone who's reviewed so far. See ya!

  



	4. Problems with Partnerships

  


Metal Dolls: Mercenary Loyalties

  


Disclaimer: Mega Man and all related characters belong to Capcom Co. , Ltd. All other characters belong to me.

  


Note: Well chapter four here we go. I'm glad everyone likes this so far. Not bad for a first Mega Man fic. As for Mr. Bault you and anyone else out there can use my characters in one of your fics if you want. Personally I think the idea of having my characters in a HOA fic might be cool! ^_^ Alright now we're going to get back to Disco and Proto Man while I try to live up to my summary a little. 

  
  


Chapter Four: the Problem with Partnerships

  


"What are we doing here?"

"Looking for a ham sandwich."

"Robots don't eat."

"I know that! I was being sarcastic!" Disco snapped, glaring at Proto Man.

They were standing in Dr. Lights lab with Jazz. The self-proclaimed Black Bandit had decided to start the investigation here. Though he could sort of guess what she was up to he still wanted to here it from her.

"Well you don't have to bite my head off about it. I just asked a simple question."

"A stupid question you mean." He was sure he heard her grumble. Then she exaggeratedly mimicked his voice as she said. "'What are we doing here?'" her voice went back to normal "We're looking for clues DUH!" 

_Once again you don't have to bite my head off. _He thought with a sigh. "Is she always like this?" He asked Dr. Dark, who was listening to the exchange through the communicators in both robots helmets.

Dr. Dark sighed. "She's usually more tolerant but this technically isn't her month." There was a strangely grim note to her tone of voice.

Proto Man noticed. "What do you mean?" 

"Not my story to tell. You'll have to ask–"

"_Hello_! This isn't the time for standing and talking!" Disco interrupted, sounding really genuinely angry this time.

_Obviously she heard us._ A startled Proto Man thought as he looked over at her.

"Julia, either get off the line or stop talking to Proto Man!" she continued. "_You_!" she pointed at the Red Raider. "Stop slacking off and help! We're supposed to be working here!" 

"Fine but what are we looking for exactly."

"Anything that might tell us where we can find Wily's new Skull Fortress, if it was Wily and he's the most likely candidate."

"What makes you so sure that he'd leave something like that behind?"

She gave him a scrutinizing look. "It seems to me there's a chance he wants you to try and rescue Dr. Light and yer sibs, so he can capture you and complete his little collection." She flashed a cocky grin as she added. "Of course that plan'll back fire now that you've got me."

Proto Man frowned._ Is that so. . . _. "You've never even fought Wily before and Dr. Dark said the last time you fought Wily's Robot Masters they managed to get away from you." 

"You know." She said. The grin disappeared and her voice became dangerously low. "I'm only putting up with you for Julia and Dr. Cossack's sake. Otherwise, you'd be in really big trouble right about now."

"What's the matter, did I strike a nerve?" he taunted.

"PUT A SOCK IN IT BOTH OF YOU!!" Dr. Dark's voice rang out from their communicators. They both jumped at the sound. The young scientist rarely yelled but obviously she knew Disco well enough that she didn't need to be there to know that at those last words Disco had started forward as if deciding to take Proto Man out anyway. 

"This isn't the time for arguments either, I believe Disco, you said that you're supposed to be working. So _get working_." Dr. Cossack, who had also been listening over the com., said firmly.

They glared at each other for a couple of seconds then– 

"Fine!"

They turned their backs on each other and started off in different directions.

*****************************

  


Back in her lab Dr. Dark sighed and sat back in her chair, massaging the bridge of her nose. _I should have known this would happen. _ Disco had a way of ticking people off without much provocation. Especially when she was in a bad mood and this time of year, she was _always _in a bad mood. 

_Disco if only you'd talk to me about this. You're only making things worse._ "I told you it wouldn't work." She said over her shoulder to Dr. Cossack. "You know Disco doesn't get along well at all with anyone except you, me, Kalinka and Jazz. Not since. . . ." 

"Yes I know but they don't have to like each other or get along in order to work as a team and Disco may not be a natural team player but she can adapt." Dr. Cossack answered. "And so can Proto Man, they'll get used to each other eventually." 

"I hope you're right. For everyone's sake." Dr. Dark said grimly as she turned back to the monitor. _She's too proud and stubborn to be as adaptable as you think she is. _

  


*******************************

_Maybe I shouldn't have over reacted like that, _Disco thought as she and Jazz looked around their side of the lab. She glanced over her shoulder at Proto Man looking around on the opposite side of the lab. _It wasn't as if Julia was about to tell him about. . . ._ She shook her head violently and went back to her search. _Don't start thinking about _that_, girl you've got work to do._

That's when she noticed something on the floor. She walked over for a closer look. She didn't see that Proto Man had also seen it and was also walking toward it.

She bent down to pick it up at the same time Proto Man did and– 

"Ow! Watch it bub!" Disco shouted as she and Proto Man both staggered back and straitened. It hadn't really hurt but that didn't stop her from being annoyed.

"You were the one who bumped into me." Proto Man answered. 

"I don't care. This is why I work alone. There's nobody to get in the way when you're working solo." Disco grumbled as she bent down again and picked up the object.

"I agree with you there." she thought she heard him say under his breath.

"Well, well what do we have here?" Disco said. It was a metal nut of some kind. 

She held the nut between her thumb and forefinger and pressed a button on the side of her helmet. An electric display appeared on the inside view of her visor.

"According to a preliminary scan this here is made out of Darinium alloy."

"'Darinium'?" 

"An experimental alloy created about three years ago." Dr. Dark answered. "Most scientists don't have access to the stuff, but I believe a small quantity of it was stolen from one of Powell Technologies weapons labs several months ago."

"Wasn't that part of the same case Mr. Powell had me on?" Disco pressed. "The same case where it turned out Bass and Doc Wily's Robot Masters were involved?"

"Same one."

  


"Great. And how much would a 'small quantity' be?" 

"Probably enough to make a robot around your size."

"Really great." Disco said sarcastically. "Now we if we're really lucky we'll have to deal with a Robot Master who's both strong and fast."

"What's so special about Darinium?" Proto Man asked.

"It's strong as titanium but a heck of a lot lighter. The governments thinking of using it as light weight body armor and robotists have talked about its potential for faster moving robots." Disco explained. 

"Okay."

"You two had better come back so I can run a more detailed scan." Dr. Dark said. "They may not have left it on purpose but it could be a valuable clue."

"Sounds like a good idea."

Disco activated the teleporter in Jazz's collar while Proto Man started to activate the teleporter in his shield. 

_I hope this is the clue we need. The sooner this stupid assignment's over the better off I'll be. _Disco thought as she and Jazz disappeared in flash of black light.

  


******************** 

  


Proto Man held back for a few seconds after Disco and Jazz teleported and looked around the lab one last time. _I hope this is the clue we need. The sooner I find Mega Man, Roll, and Dr. Light the better. _He smiled._ Besides I have a feeling this girl's gonna drive me insane if I have to deal with her for much longer. _He thought almost wistfully as he finally activated the teleporter and disappeared in a flash of red light.

  


***********************

  


Well there you go. Chapter four. Once again thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far and I hope I can continue to do a good job on this fic. I may take a break to work on one of my other stories for a while though so don't expect the next chapter to come as quickly as this one did. Ciao! 

  
  



	5. The Plot Thickens

  


Metal Dolls: Mercenary Loyalties

  


Disclaimer: Mega Man and all related characters belong to Capcom Co. , Ltd. All other characters belong to me.

  


Note: I'm very, very, very sorry I took so long to update! Like I said I was working on one of my other stories. Thanks for the reminder Anth I'm glad you like this fic so much. Now, on to chapter five! ^_^

  


Chapter Five: The Plot Thickens

  


"STRATAAA! BAAASSS!! TERRRAAA!!!" Quick Girl's voice rang loudly through-out the halls. 

Terra Man sighed. _That_ had to have been heard by the entire fortress. 

Quick Girl came roaring into the room at top speed. She put on the breaks as soon as she went trough the door and went skidding across the room with a horrible screeching sound, shooting right past Bass and Strata Girl and only just managing to stop before crashing right into the wall opposite the door. 

Now it was Strata Girl's turn to sigh "You _really_ do need to work on your breaks."

"Where's the fire?" Pyro Girl asked with a smirk. Hydro Girl rolled her eye's at The Fire Robot Master's idea of a pun and Jet Man, as usual, sat silently in a corner watching.

Ignoring them, Quick Girl zipped over to Bass and this time stopped on a dime when she reached him.

"Bass!" 

"What is it _now_ Quick Girl?" Bass asked in annoyance.

"TechnofoundsomethingyoushouldseeonthecamreasinDr.Lightslab!" Quick Girl answered the way she always did she was REALLY excited. 

"What?" Bass asked as he glanced at Strata Girl who happened to be the only one who understood the pink robot when she talked like that.

Strata Girl sighed again, "She Said "Techno found something you should see on the cameras in Dr. Lights lab." You know, the ones he planted there after they captured the good Doctor and his two creations?"

Bass glared at her. "Of course I know Strata Girl, Wily told everyone about _that_ part of the plan after he _finally_ told us about capturing them last night." He turned to the others. "I guess we should check it out then. C'mon." 

Quick Girl went zooming back out of the room again as the others followed at a considerably slower pace. 

  


**********************

  


"Sir." Techno Man said as Bass and the others arrived.

"What do you have for us Techno Man?" Bass asked as he came to stand next to the robot computer specialist. He noted without surprise that Quick Girl was standing behind Techno Man leaning over his shoulder and that Techno Man was completely ignoring her presence.

"It seems that Proto Man is already on our tail." Techno Man said as he punched up an image from the camera footage. 

"Isn't that the robot you fought the other night with him?" a quiet voice asked from behind Bass. 

He started slightly then looked over his shoulder and saw it was Jet Man who'd spoken. It wasn't the first time he'd forgotten the quiet robot master's presence. 

The other robot masters called Jet Man the "Proto Man Lookalike" when he wasn't there but Bass didn't think it was a very accurate description. He was the same size and build, wore the same kind of helmet and carried a similar shield but that was where the similarities ended. His helmet, lower arms and boots were black, the visor of his helmet was grey, and he wore a black chest plate and shoulder guards. The rest his armor was silver and on the left side of his helmet was the image of a silver fighter jet. 

Bass looked at the image on the screen again before answering "Yes. Her name's Disco and she calls herself the 'Black Bandit.'" 

"I wonder what she's doing there." Strata Girl said.

"Look!! She has a puppy!!" Quick Girl squealed suddenly.

Everyone else except Jet Man and Techno Man fell down anime style. (Note: I couldn't resist. ^_^) 

"We need to report this to Dr. Wily." Techno Man said as everyone jumped back up and Strata Girl whacked Quick Girl upside the head. 

Whack!

"Pay attention!"

"Ow! That hurt!"

"Right. Pyro Girl?" Bass asked as he completely ignored Quick Girl and Strata Girl and turned to the dark red and orange robot.

"Yes?" She answered. 

"Go tell Dr. Wily what Techno Man found. I'm going to check on the prisoners." 

"Right away boss." Pyro Girl nodded and left the room.

  


****************

  


"What are we going to do?" Roll asked worriedly as Mega Man's latest attempt to break out of his force field cell failed miserably. 

"I wish I knew." The Blue Bomber sighed.

"We'll just have to hope Proto Man can find us before it's to late." Dr. Light said. 

"Wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you old man." Bass said as he entered the room, flanked by four of the robot masters. (Note: Jet Man wondered off and Heavy Man is standing guard at the door)

"What's Dr. Wily up to Bass?" Dr. Light asked.

"Uh, we don—" Quick Girl started to say but was cut off when Terra Man hooked an arm around her neck and clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Oh you'll find out soon enough Light, don't worry." Bass said as he ignored Quick Girl and Terra Man.

"Your not going to get away with this!" Mega Man shouted, to angry to notice Quick Girl's slip. "When Proto Man get's here–"

"When that meddlesome brother of yours gets here," Dr. Wily's voice interrupted, "We will be more then ready." 

The mad scientist walked in with Pyro Girl and Heavy Man not to far behind. Heavy Man moved into position right behind Mega Man and Pyro Girl strolled casually over to a panel in the far wall.

"What are you going to do?" Roll asked nervously as she noticed.

"That's what I'd like to know." Bass added suspiciously.

In reply, Pyro Girl hit the switch that deactivated the force field on Mega Man's cell. 

Before he could react Heavy Man grabbed Mega Man and held him.

"Hey let go!" Mega Man shouted as he struggled in the stronger robots grasp.

"Mega Man!" Dr. Light and Roll both cried.

"Take him to the main lab. We're moving to Stage Two a little early." Wily instructed as he left the room, beckoning all his creations to follow.

"You got it Doc." Heavy Man answered as he dragged a struggling and protesting Blue Bomber with him.

"Terra Man, I have a job for you as well. Come with me."

  


*****************

  
  
  


"So what did ya find?" Disco asked as she leaned casually over Dr. Dark's shoulder.

"Well," Dr. Dark tapped her lip thoughtfully with one finger as she studied the display in front of her. "This isn't part of the shipment that went missing during the Powell Tech. thefts."

"How do you know?" Proto Man asked.

"There are identification numbers cut into any metal parts made by Powell Technologies. This one has them and since the shipment that was stolen hadn't been processed yet it's unlikely that it came from one of Wily's robots."

Disco sighed. "Well there's one dead end."

"Not exactly." 

"What do you mean?" Proto Man asked curiously.

"According to the company records Mr. Powell gave me access to, this was most likely one of the Darinium parts made shortly after Powell Tech was first given permission to use the alloy three years ago."

_ Great_. "You don't mean. . . ." Disco trailed off and frowned.

"Exactly, the only place they made these was at a factory that was shut down a year later."

"The factory near the old cemetery," Disco added in monotone. "Of course it just _had _to be there."

Proto Man looked at Disco and cocked his head to one side to indicate a raised eyebrow. "What wrong?" then he smirked as he added "Is the great Disco afraid of ghosts?"

Disco scowled back and put her hands on her hips. "Number one, there ain't no such things as ghosts, Number two it's none of yer damn business!"

"Touchy." 

"Now you two stop this right now!" Dr. Cossack, had been standing quietly nearby watching, said as he stepped between the two robot's before things could start to get ugly. 

"Save it for later." Dr. Dark sighed as she spun around in her chair to face them. "Right now the best thing to do is –" 

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Disco said, sounding none to thrilled. "We gotta check the place out. C'mon Red." she added to Proto Man as she started to leave the room. 

"'Red?'" Proto Man repeated blankly.

"Not so fast Disco, I'm not finished yet!" Dr. Dark called as she rose form her chair. 

Disco spun around. "What!?" she snapped.

Dr. Dark stared blankly back.

Disco sighed. 

"What?" The Black Bandit asked more calmly.

"If this is where Mega Man, Roll, and Dr. Light are being held, which is unlikely but possible, it would be best to teleport in close to the factory and check out the surrounding area before entering the factory itself."

"Yeah I know. That's what I was gonna do." Disco rolled her eyes behind her visor.

"Now you guy's be careful out there and watch each others backs." Cossack added. "Anything could happen out there and like it or not your working together on this one."

"We know Doc/Dr. Cossack." the two robots said in unison. 

  


***************** 

  


"This sucks." Disco grumbled as they walked trough the old cemetery. "' Through the cemetery would be the best way to approach the factory without being seen.' Why _did_ I listen to her?"

"It sounded sensible to me." Proto Man said simply without looking at Disco. "It's not as if this is the worst thing in the world Disco. You– Disco?" He looked to his left to find that she wasn't there anymore. Looking around he finally saw that she'd fallen behind and was standing silently in front of one of the headstones.

"Hey!" Proto Man walked over to stand next to her. 

"What's wrong?" He asked, genuinely concerned.

Disco jumped and looked at him. "Nothing!" she answered, lying through her teeth. "I just got curious is all." she moved away from him and walked away.

Proto Man frowned worriedly and looked at the headstone.

_'Here Lies Dr. Eric Mills, Lost But Not Forgotten'. . . . Dr. Eric Mills? Where have I heard that name before? _ __

"Come on Red lets GOalready!" Disco shouted, interrupting Proto Man's thoughts.

"Alright, I'm coming."

  


*****************

  


Okay, that's the end of chapter five. Once again I'm sorry it took so long for me to update this. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. I'm out of here! ^_~ 

  
  



	6. Earth Shattering Rumble part one

  


Metal Dolls: Mercenary Loyalties

  


Disclaimer: Mega Man and all related characters belong to Capcom Co. , Ltd. All other characters belong to me.

  


Note: By now you should realize there's something in Disco's past that she would rather not talk about. It's mostly a subplot that doesn't directly affect the main story and all the details won't be revealed until later in the Metal Dolls Trilogy anyway but continue to watch for more clues throughout the rest of this story. 

  


Chapter Six: Earth Shattering Rumble Part one

  
  


"What do you want with me? What's 'Stage Two' anyway?" Mega Man had decided to save his energy and try to get information out his captors. He figured if he kept asking they might let something slip. _Plus the more distracted they are the better my chances are I can get away before Wily has a chance to do whatever he's going to do to me,_ He thought. _I Hope. . . ._

"We ain't gonna tell youse nothin' right? Th' Doc won't like it and there's no way _I'm_ gonna be scrap metal." Heavy Man answered gruffly.

"You might as well give up Mega Man." Bass said calmly as he and Pyro Girl followed the two down the corridor toward Dr. Wily's main lab. "There's no way your going to learn anything from us."

"You'll find out soon enough anyway." Pyro Girl pointed out. "We're here."

Dr. Wily stood at a work table with his back to them when they entered the lab. Techno Man was already there, standing at one of the computer consoles. 

"You ready Doctor?" Bass asked.

Wily didn't look at him. "Nearly Bass, strap him down over there and wait for further instructions." He gestured to a slanted metal work table near the computer Techno Man was working at.

Mega Man's eye's widened. _Uh-oh,_ that _doesn't look good._ He thrashed wildly in another attempt to break Heavy Man's hold on him. "Oh no you don't! Let go of me! Ugh!" He caught the bigger robot off guard and almost broke free but Bass grabbed his arm. Pyro Girl came to help as well and together the three of them managed to wrestle him onto the table and secure his wrists and ankles.

"Well, that wasn't too hard." Pyro Girl said when they were finished. Brushing her hands together triumphantly, she glanced over at the mad scientist at the other table. "We're finished Doc. Now what?" 

Mega Man tugged uselessly at his bonds and watched as Wily approached. There was something in his hands that was connected to the computer by a cord.

"Now the fun begins."

  


****************

  


"Have you reached the target site yet." Dr. Dark asked Disco and Proto Man after the two had left the cemetery. 

"Nope not yet. But we _would_ have by now if _somebody_ hadn't decided to take up headstone reading while we were in that cemetery." Disco drawled, glancing pointedly in Proto Man's direction.

Proto Man frowned. "Well you were the one who stopped to look at that headstone in the first place. Which reminds me: This may not be any of my business but did you _know_ the guy that belongs to?" 

Disco stopped walking. Proto Man stopped as well and turned to look her in the face. Disco glared at him.

"No I _didn't _know the poor sap that headstone belonged to. Like I said I was just curious and even if I _did_ know him your right: It _would_ be none of your business!" She said in a low dangerous voice. 

She stalked off. Proto Man hung back a few seconds before running to catch up. "Then what are you so angry about?"

Disco didn't look at him. "Use your brain and keep your nose out."

"Fine then. But remember you brought it up."

They both heard Dr. Dark's sigh of resignation before Disco could come up with a proper retort. "Okay that's enough you two. Let me know when you reach your destination alright?"

"Alright Julia." Disco muttered.

" Good, Dr. Dark out." 

As they continue on their way neither one notice's that they were being watched. 

  


***********

  


Terra Man snickered. _Well, well, isn't that cute, _He thought as he moved silently through the trees toward the other two robot's. _I suddenly find myself reminded of another couple of robots I know. . . . _He shook his head and started to step out from behind a tree. _Well enough reminiscing, time to get down to business._

Snap! 

He only paused momentarily when he accidently stepped on a small twig before slipping quickly behind another tree.

************ 

  


To say the least Disco wasn't a happy camper. _Who does that . . . that jerk think he is, asking about things like that?! _She thought angrily as she kept walking, doing her best to hide her sudden near uncontrollable urge to hit something, preferably the robot that was walking along nearby. _What is he now?! My god damn counselor or something?! I oughta – _

Snap!

_What the. . .! _In a flash, Disco spun in then direction of the sound – right behind them – and slid into a fighter's stance as she searched for the source.

"What is it?" Proto Man asked in a low voice.

"I thought I heard something." Disco answered, relaxing. For all she knew it could have been some animal minding it's own business. _But then again. . . ._ Reaching up, she pressed a hidden button on her helmet that activated her visors infer-red scanner. All robots gave off a heat signature like any other machine, though it was always fainter then those given off by living creatures it was still there and if there were robots near by the infer-red would find them.

"Well?" Proto Man had obviously been told – by Dr. Cossack most likely– about the scanning devices Dr. Dark had installed in Disco's helmet and realized she was currently using one of them. 

Disco frowned. "Nothing." she turned the scanner off. "And that's the weird part." 

"What's so weird about it?"

"We're close enough to the factory that if Wily's bot's _are_ here we should have run into something by now right?"

"Well," Proto Man seemed to think for a second. "Mega Man has more experience with Wily than I do but I think your right. It is strange."

"Exactly, which means that either we're being sent on a wild goose chase or. . . ."

". . .Walking straight into a trap." Proto Man finished thoughtfully.

Disco nodded grimly "Yep those are our choices." She paused for minute then shrugged. "Oh well, we won't find out a thing unless we check it out so let's –"

Suddenly the ground started to shake and something burst out of the ground right under their feet, throwing them in different directions.

"Okay. Who's the wise guy?" Disco said angrily as she and Proto Man started to climb to their feet. 

"I am." A voice answered. 

She looked up to see who their uninvited guest was and blinked. _What the. . . ?_

A brown and green Robot Master was now crouching next to the hole in the ground where they'd been standing a couple of seconds ago. His helmet and arms were brown as was the chest plate and shoulder and knee guards he wore while the rest of his armor was green. He happened to be three inches shorter than the other robot's present and on the left side of his chest plate was a green picture of a planet.

"Well it's about _time_ one of you goons showed up!" Disco said with a grin as she slid into another fighter's stance. "I was beginning to think we were wanted around here."

"Who are you anyway?" Proto Man asked as he formed his arm cannon and pointed it at the unknown Robot Master. 

The robot smirked and chuckled evilly. "Oh did I forget my manners? How rude of me." He began sarcastically then bowed mockingly as he continued. "Allow me to introduce myself then. My name is Terra Man and I will be your opponent for this evening."

  
  


************* 

  
  


This is probably the shortest chapter to date but I guess you can tell I was having trouble, what with how long it took me to get the darn thing up and all. you see I was planning to have the next fight in this chapter but I got stuck on what attacks Terra Man should have. . . . I know it's kind of stupid of me to wait for this long to think about stuff like this but it's one of my fault's and since none of my friends are into Mega Man the way I am I wouldn't mind suggestion's from the reviewers if you have any. Okay? Thanks!


End file.
